About us

Dig deep into what we are about here at Columbus Pre-School

A touch of history

Columbus Pre-School was established in 1988. Peggy Gluck, a former preschool teacher herself, and Billy Gluck, her husband, opened Columbus Pre-School and Gym, aptly situated and named after their favorite avenue in the neighborhood to take their toddler son, Travis, on strolls down.

They set out to create a place where children would be supported and nurtured, and encouraged to be curious. Billy and Peggy have spent the past 28 years cultivating Columbus Pre-School to provide just that environment. As their family grew and the neighborhood evolved, so did the school, adding more classrooms to welcome more students.

Today, their son Travis, who was among the school’s first students, serves as a 3s teacher, and their younger daughter, Kiah, who also spent her childhood at the school and volunteering during summer camp, works as an administrator. With the help of their wonderful education team, the Gluck family continues to offer families on the Upper West Side a home away from home.

(212) 721-0090

About us

Columbus Pre-School is a learning environment that nurtures and respects the different gifts and variety in learning styles that each child brings to the classroom community.

Our philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, where teachers respect each child individually and help them be the authors of their own learning.

Our mission

As a family-run school, we have always aimed to create an environment that feels like an extension of our own home, where students feel welcome and confident. It is important to us that our parent body similarly feels at home at Columbus.

We have an open-door policy for parent involvement, and nothing makes our students prouder than when their parents join the class to read a story, cook a special snack, or play an instrument.